3 soldiers, one civilian killed in J&K

The army launches a major operation to nab the terrorists involved in the attack, reports Rashid Ahmad.

Three soldiers, one of them an officer, and a civilian were killed in a clash between terrorists and troops at Tral in south Kashmir, late on Thursday night.

The army has laid siege around the area and a major operation was going on to nab the terrorists involved in the attack.

Sources said that the troops of Rashtriya Rifles got the information of terrorists' presence in Arigam quarter of Tral town. As a posse of the RR was on way to the village to launch an operation, the terrorists waylaid the troops outside the village and fired indiscriminately on them. Sources said three soldiers including a junior commissioned officer (JCO) were killed and two other jawans injured. The condition of one of the injured soldiers was stated to be critical.

Defence spokesperson Lt Col AK Mathur confirmed the death of the JCO and two soldiers. He said that the troops were on way to the village to lay an ambush against the terrorists. “But one of the terrorists fired indiscriminately. One JCO and two jawans were killed,” Mathur said. He said that the troops restrained fire to avoid civilian casualty.

One civilian Mohammad Afzal Kumar was also killed in the shootout. The defence spokesperson said that the civilian was killed in firing by the terrorists.

However, the residents alleged that the civilian was killed by the troops to take revenge of the death of their jawans. Hundreds of residents took to the streets in Tral town on Friday and held protest demonstrations. The entire trownship is reeling under protest shutdown.